A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the alternative confinement of criminal offenders convicted and sentenced to serve prison time for relatively minor offenses. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for verifying and identifying the presence or absence of an offender at an authorized location.
B. Description of Related Art and Advantages of the Invention
As an alternative to incarceration in costly government prison facilities, low risk offenders convicted of relatively minor criminal offenses may be sentenced to a reduced form of punishment such as home incarceration (xe2x80x9chouse arrestxe2x80x9d) or other forms or minimum supervision. With such forms of alternative sentencing, offenders are not incarcerated in a penitentiary facility, but confined to particular locations, such as their home, workplace or other like less confining location. The offenders are monitored and required to check-in with a supervising authority on a periodic basis. In comparison to house arrest, minimum supervision is generally less restrictive and may be suitable for parolees that have been released from prison.
These offenders may be required to report to a supervisory authority in a number of different ways depending usually on the type of risk the offenders present to the public, past criminal behavior or violent tendencies. For example, very low risk offenders may be required to simply mail a postcard or a questionnaire to a supervising authority agency on a periodic basis. Higher risk offenders may be required to place a telephone call from a specific authorized location to a supervisor or authorized monitoring personnel at designated times. The telephone call is received by the monitoring personnel who authenticate the caller""s identity, calling location and the time of the day the call is received. Even higher risk offenders may be required report in person several times a month or week to a supervisor or other authorized personnel.
These manual supervision processes, however, have a number of disadvantages. For example, these manual reporting processes are manpower intensive, requiring monitoring personnel be available to receive and confirm the offender reporting. Manual offender reporting also requires extensive manual documentation and is therefore subject to clerical errors. In addition, it may be difficult to authenticate the identity of an offender reporting over the telephone. Moreover, where a supervising agency monitors offenders at different security levels, different types of reporting and monitoring must be administered.
The present invention relates to a method of electronically monitoring the presence of an offender. The method includes enrolling the offender in a computerized monitoring program and recording offender background data using a plurality of computer generated interfaces (CGI). The background data includes offender information and an authorized monitoring location or locations. A computer generates a telephone call to the authorized monitoring location in accordance with a verification call schedule. It is determined whether the first computer generated telephone call was received at the authorized monitoring location by a receiving party. The receiving party is prompted to verbally respond to at least one inquiry. It is verified that the receiving party is the offender. Voice verification technology is used during the first generated telephone call. It is determined whether a second computer generated telephone call should be generated to the authorized monitoring location if the first computer generated telephone call was not received at the authorized monitoring location by the offender or if the receiving party was not verified as the enrolled offender.
In another aspect of the invention, a machine implemented process for tracking a traveling offender required to make a scheduled telephone call from an authorized tracking location into an computerized tracking system is disclosed. The method includes enrolling the traveling offender in the computerized tracking system and using at least one graphical user interface (GUI) for recording traveling offender data, the offender data including authorized telephone numbers and an enrollee identification number. A telephone call is placed by a calling party from an originating telephone into the computerized tracking system, the originating telephone having an originating phone number. The telephone call is received from the calling party. The availability of Automatic Number Identifier (ANI) for originating telephone placing the originating telephone call is determined. The available ANI of the originating telephone is captured. The calling party is prompted to enter the enrollee identification number. The enrollee identification number is entered and validated. The available ANI is validated. It is determined whether the telephone call was the scheduled telephone call placed from the authorized telephone. The calling party is prompted to respond to an inquiry. A response to the inquiry is recorded, and the calling party is verified as the traveling offender.
In another aspect of the present invention, a computerized method of tracking an individual traveling between a first authorized location and a second authorized location is disclosed. The method comprises enrolling the individual in an electronic tracking program and using a graphical user interface (GUI) of the tracking program for recording the first authorized telephone number and the second authorized telephone number. The individual is authorized to place a first scheduled telephone call from the first authorized location, the first authorized location having a first authorized telephone number. The individual is authorized to place a second scheduled telephone call from the second authorized location, the second authorized location having a second authorized telephone number. A first telephone call is placed by a first calling party into the electronic tracking system, the first telephone call placed from a first telephone having a first originating telephone number. The first originating telephone number is captured. It is verified that the first telephone call is the first scheduled telephone call and that the first originating telephone call was placed from the first authorized location. Voice verification technology is used during the first telephone call to verify that the first calling party is the individual. A second telephone call is placed by a second calling party into the electronic tracking system, the second telephone call placed from a second telephone having a second originating telephone number. The second originating telephone number is captured and verified that the second telephone call is the second authorized telephone call. The second originating telephone call is verified that it was placed from the second authorized location. Voice verification technology is used during the second telephone call to verify that the second calling party is the individual.